Stabbing victim involved in '07 scandal with former GOP lawmaker

Spokane Police are investigating if a weekend fatal stabbing was self defense.

Officers found 25-year-old Robert Henry Fletcher bleeding in the street near Nelson and Wabash on Saturday night. Police say he had been stabbed multiple times and was pronounced dead at the hospital a short time later.

Castagna later plead guilty and was sentenced to 65 days in jail and given credit for 65 days already served. Prosecutors dropped extortion and conspiracy charges against Fletcher at the request of Curtis.

In July 2009, Court records show Fletcher was sentenced to 43 months in prison for two counts of possession of stolen vehicle charges. Fletcher's Facebook page includes a comment that says he was recently released from Walla Walla (Penitentiary) West Complex and was living a clean lifestyle.

Fletcher's younger sister, Lacey, said Tuesday evening that he was not just her big brother but also her best friend.

"He was a good person. We loved him very much. He had a huge heart. When he was released from prison in June, he was starting his life over again. He was getting his GED and was looking for a job," she said.

His family held a candlelight vigil for him at the scene of the stabbing Monday night. Friends say he leaves two children behind. The family, meanwhile, is waiting for answers from the Spokane Police Department as to what happened last Saturday night that brought Fletcher's life to a violent end.

"Police aren't telling us why he was killed because the case is still being investigated. He never did anything violent," Lacey Fletcher said.